I agree with you, Kristine. I had a wake-up call a number of years ago. I was debating the question of raising the minimum wage by pointing out that Walmart workers didn’t make a living wage. One of my FB friend’s friends said she had worked at Walmart for years and was able, as a single mother, to support her two children.

Why was my impression different from her experience? I lived near San Francisco and she lived near St. Louis. What was impossible in one place was totally doable in another. I realized that my lack of understanding was skewed by my environment. It didn’t change my mind about raising the minimum wage, but hearing her side helped me understand why we disagreed.